Forum ’85

PHOTO TOM BALKE

Dame Nita Barrow Photo courtesy of International Council for Adult Education

In 1975, the United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women held a World Conference in Mexico City. International Women's Year was declared and the UN General Assembly accepted the World Plan of Action adopted by delegates from 125 countries. The plan set five-year minimum goals for the advancement of women in education, employment, political participation and policy making, as well as recognition of the value of women's work in the home. 1976-85 was declared the United Nations Decade for Women. "Equality, Development and Peace" were its themes.

In 1980, 145 nations met in Copenhagen for the Mid-Decade World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women. A World Plan and Program of Action was adopted. It asked for strategies to attain women's full and equal participation in development, politics, decision-making, international cooperation and peace. Governments were to collect data and review progress periodically, especially in the areas of employment, health and education.

In 1985, the UN has called a World Conference (July 15-26) to review and appraise the achievements of the Decade for Women. This conference, which is to be attended by government delegates, representatives of intergovernmental agencies, and official observers, is to identify obstacles and develop strategies to improve the situation of women.

From July 10-19, just prior to (and overlapping) the UN Conference, a nongovernmental World Conference has been organized in Nairobi, Kenya (also the site of the UN Conference). This conference, Forum '85, is open to all. The themes for both conferences are "Equality, Development and Peace". Employment, health and education will also be the focus with special attention given to the problems of rural women. The achievements of the Decade for Women will be reviewed.

Dame Nita Barrow of Barbados, West Indies, President of the International Council for Adult Education, is acting as Convener of the Planning Committee. Dame Nita, who has been an adult educator throughout her professional career in nursing, has had a long-term commitment to the advancement of women. She was knighted in 1980 as a Dame of the Order of St. Andrew (Barbados) in recognition of her work in the voluntary sector.

Forum '85 will offer over one hundred workshops per day. The overall objective of the Conference is to propose strategies to attain the goals of the World Plan and Program of Action by the year 2000.

Dame Nita recently identified some of the gains made by women since International Women's

Year, as listed in an international survey:

• women feel they are being recognized and taken more seriously than before
• rural women have a higher visibility
• the number of women who are self-employed has grown
• some gains were made in the fields of education and health
• there is more access to higher education, but not necessarily to jobs - African women especially have more self-assurance - there is a feeling of "there's nothing we cannot do"

Dame Nita said, "Whatever area of the world or level in society, women are still being discriminated against. However, I've never seen women stopped once they begin to move, and education is the starting point."

Forum '85 is hoping to address all the issues vital to the ongoing struggle for recognition, and in some cases, survival of women around the world.

(CCLOW will be represented at Forum '85 by Lisa Avedon, President.)

Viviane Carson recently joined CCLOW as Information and Resource Coordinator. She is Managing Editor of WEDF.